Drive Up Mailbox

ABSTRACT

This invention is a drive up mailbox that incorporates a front door and a right side door to allow a mail patron to retrieve the mail from the vehicle from the side door while in a driveway without getting out of the vehicle. The box can be manufactured using plastic, metal or wood allowing for ease of manufacture and allows the doors to open downward and operate as catchalls to prevent mail from falling onto the ground.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT.

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC.

Compact disc enclosed; Mick Lyristakis, amended application Ser. No. 11/458,210.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the field of mailboxes in general and dual door mailboxes specifically.

2. Description of Related art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.

1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,335—1963 by Allen comprises a mailbox with a back door and a front door but this design would not allow retrieval of mail safely from a vehicle in a driveway. U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,111—1995 by Sauzedde also comprises a mailbox with a front and back door along with a mechanism to push the mail out of the box but this also limits the postal patron from retrieving their mail from their vehicle in their driveway. U.S. Pat No. 7,048,177—2006 by Franklin does comprise side doors along with compartments for different sized mail but the compartments would interfere with the driver retrieving their mail since it is most likely that the top compartment would be completely or partially hidden from the driver from the angle of their seat. In addition, this design is far more costly and more complex than is needed for the simple use of being able to retrieve mail from the side of the mailbox without getting out of the vehicle.

2. Retrieving mail has so far always involved physically approaching the mailbox on foot, or by stopping and getting out of your car, or by dangerously stopping on the wrong side of the road to retrieve your mail directly from the driver's side of the vehicle. Since the postal deliverer needs to have direct access to the mailbox from the street, the additional side door on a mailbox would enable the driver to stop their vehicle, reach out of the window, open the box and retrieve the mail while in their own driveway thereby enabling the driver to safely and efficiently retrieve the mail regardless of the weather conditions and to avoid the danger of stopping on the wrong side of the road to retrieve their mail from their vehicle.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

1. The drive up mailbox is designed as a simple way to either retrieve the patron's mail on foot or to be able to retrieve the patron's mail from the driver's side of a vehicle after pulling into the driveway without getting out of the vehicle. The side door of the design allows the patron to avoid traffic as the back door on a mailbox of any previous design does while also allowing full view and retrieval of all the mail while the patron remains seated in the vehicle.

2. The design is also simple and easy to incorporate into the manufacture of existing mailboxes without adding undue expense or complications. The simplicity of the design enhances the patron's ability to avoid stopping on the wrong side of the road and endangering both themselves and other drivers on that road while also giving the patron the ability to retrieve the mail while sheltered from rough weather by remaining in the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 This view is the perspective of the box 5 showing both doors. The door 1 is formed as a rectangle with a small handle 2. The front door 3 is formed to encompass the entire front of the box and also has a small handle 4 along with the direction that the doors open.

FIG. 2 This view is the perspective of the box 5 from the right side with the right side door 1 and handle 2 shown in conformation with the box.

FIG. 3 This view is the perspective of the box from the front with the front side door 3 and its handle 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1. A hollow rectangular box 5 approximately 10 inches high by 8 inches wide by 26 inches long with a front door 3 with a small handle 4 opening downward toward the street along with a right side door 1 with a small handle 2 opening downward toward the driveway side of the property; this mailbox would be amenable to manufacture using numerous different construction materials including but not limited to plastic, metal or wood; the two door's open downward on both the front and right sides of the box.

2. The front door of the box facing the street allows easy access for the delivery of mail from the bag or vehicle of the postal delivery person while the right facing door allows easy access for the postal patron to stop in the driveway and from the driver side of the vehicle to retrieve the mail without exiting the vehicle. The invention improves the use of the mailbox by allowing vehicle drivers to retrieve their mail without having to take the risk of stopping on the wrong side of the street to access the front of the mailbox so as to avoid parking and getting out of the vehicle. 

1. A drive up mailbox with a front and side door comprising: a rectangular hollow box with a door that is the entire front of the box for mail insertion and a large elongated rectangular door on a right side of a box to allow a person seated in a vehicle to retrieve mail; the hollow box is without interior partitions; the doors are operated with small handles located at an upper center portion thereof; the doors open downward to prevent mail from falling onto the ground. 